Student Groups
Students will find that different levels of involvement with sustainability work at DU will meet their needs. For those who want to get more deeply involved in building their communities around a common interest of value for the outdoors, plants, or even reducing food waste, there are several student groups that will cater to those needs.
Or browse Crimson Connect to find the student group that fits your interests!
DU Backpacking Club
DU Backpacking Club, also known as DUBC, is a student organization geared toward giving DU community members memorable backcountry experiences while equipping them with the skills and knowledge necessary to create those experiences for themselves. DUBC holds sustainability as one of our utmost priorities, and we implement and teach the Leave No Trace principles throughout all of our trips. We are always looking for ways to become even more sustainable, including a current initiative of making 100 percent of our trips zero waste. Additionally, we strive to make our trips accessible to everyone by keeping our trip costs low and connecting with the student body through on-campus activities.
If you would like to learn more about DUBC, sign up for our mailing list or register for one of our trips, you can visit us on Facebook or on Crimson Connect.
Divest DU
Divest DU is a student activist organization aiming to push the University of Denver to become fossil free by campaigning for DU to divest (“un-invest”) its endowment from companies profiting off of the extraction and burning of fossil fuels. Our goal is to hold the University of Denver accountable to its mission of being "a private university dedicated to the public good" through the lens of climate justice. Education about climate justice and modes to directly act upon that knowledge are the focus of Divest DU, and we aim to bring students together to learn and act on issues they are passionate about changing on campus. This student organization is not only a club, but a learning space for social justice. We hope that Divest DU teaches DU students how to stand up for injustice beyond DU to make the world a more sustainable place by giving them the tools to organize and act.
Want to get involved? Send Divest DU a message on their Facebook page or on Crimson Connect.
DU Pollination Association
The DU Pollination Association is dedicated to improving on-campus biodiversity by supporting pollinator health by implementing sustainable solutions. Some of the major club activities are garden work days in the Bridge Community Garden located on campus, informative club meetings, creating and maintaining partnerships with pollinator-positive community groups in the greater Denver-Metro area, and much more. We also co-host two major events: the Fall DU Nature Challenge whose purpose is to index on campus biodiversity and the Spring Botanical-Bee Bonanza aimed at raising awareness about the importance of pollinators in our daily lives.
If you’d like to join the DU Pollination Association or want more information, please email Cate Lull at Catherine.Lull@bocci-life.com or visit them on Crimson Connect!
Food Recovery Network
Food Recovery Network (FRN) is a national nonprofit that unites students at colleges and universities to fight food waste and hunger by recovering perishable food that would otherwise go to waste from their campus dining halls and donating it to those in need. Our goal is to change the norm from food waste to food recovery in the United States. FRN at DU is dedicated to helping the University of Denver achieve its goal of being a zero-waste institution by 2035. We are doing this by diverting food waste from DU’s dining halls and other facilities to people experiencing homelessness in Denver. We currently collect leftover food from the Centennial Halls and Nelson Dining facilities, Fischer Early Learning Center, and some fraternity and sorority houses and bring it to the Denver Rescue Mission.
We have recoveries twice a week and would love to get more students involved. Please reach out to Haley Paez, the current President of the Food Recovery Network, at haleypaez@gmail.com, or join us on Crimson Connect.
Happy Tampers
Happy Tampers is a student group working to ensure that all menstruators in our DU community have access to the products they need in order to get through their periods with dignity. We also work towards reducing the stigma associated with menstruation and creating a supportive environment for all menstruators on campus. While many folks use disposable menstrual products, sustainable menstrual products are a great alternative which reduce waste, can be more convenient to use, and secure individuals' access to menstruation products for a longer term than disposable products. Happy Tampers is currently piloting a program to provide menstrual cups, period underwear, and reusable pads to students for free. They hope to continue this program and make it available on an ongoing basis.
If you are interested in getting involved with Happy Tampers, visit them on Crimson Connect for more information. Click "join", and their leadership will be in touch! Or, to stay up to date on what Happy Tampers is up to, you can follow them on Instagram or Facebook.